The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for storing image information in an ultrasound device and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for storing images in a standard format, such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), for example, on a compact flash storage device in an ultrasound device so that the images can be easily archived, viewed, printed, etc., by the user.
In the past, ultrasound systems have provided digital image storage in several ways. For example, it is known to provide digital image storage by networking images to a personal computer (PC) or server, or by storing images to a removable storage media, such as a magneto-optical disk. Although these solutions do offer digital storage and generally preserve image quality, they generally are not cost-effective or easy to use. Networks, servers and disk drives are expensive and often require specialized personnel to operate and administer. Additionally, the images are typically stored in a format specific to ultrasound technology, such as DSR (Digital Storage and Retrieval) or DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), which are specifically designed for the medical community. Consequently, special software is required to view these images off-line. The special software is typically expensive and may require specialized personnel or training to operate.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus for digitally storing ultrasound images in a format that can be easily archived, transferred to a PC, printed, viewed, e-mailed, etc., and which does not require specialized training or specialized hardware and/or software to utilize.
In accordance with the present invention, a compact flash technology is utilized in an ultrasound device for storing digital images. The digital images preferably are stored in a standard format, such as, for example, the JPEG format, so that no specialized software is required to access and view the images. Compact flash technology is readily available to consumers and generally is relatively inexpensive. Also, relatively low cost interfaces are available for PCs and some printers to enable the digital images stored on a compact flash disk to be easily downloaded to a PC or printer. Additionally, standard PCs typically are equipped with software that can read JPEG files. Therefore, personal users of the ultrasound device can easily download images to their PCs and access and view the images without the need for special equipment, training, or personnel.
When stored in such a standard format, no additional software is needed to view the images and thus the user can use his or her PC to access and view the images at no additional expense, provided the PC is equipped with hardware and/or software associated with the format. Although the images preferably are stored in the JPEG format on the compact flash disk, the images may be stored in other formats, such as, for example, BMP (bitmap), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) (including animated GIF), or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) formats, which is also a standard image format.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.